Culture

Sudanese culture melds the behaviours, practices and beliefs of about 243 tribes, communicating in 145 different languages, in a region microcosmic of Africa, with geographic extremes varying from sandy desert to tropical forest.

Ethnicity

In 1999, Sudan was one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse countries in the world. It had nearly 600 ethnic groups speaking over 400 languages and dialects. During the 1980s and 1990s some of Sudan's smaller ethnic and linguistic groups disappeared. Migration played a part, as migrants often forget their native tongue when they move to an area dominated by another language. Some linguistic groups were absorbed by accommodation, others by conflict.

Arabic was the lingua franca despite the use of English by many of the elite. Many Sudanese are multilingual.

Religion

According to estimates, Sudan is predominantly Muslim, with about 75% of the population adhering to Islam. Approximately 15-20% of the population subscribe to animist or indigenous beliefs, whilst 5% practice Christian. Sudan's largest Christian denominations are the Roman Catholic Church, the Episcopal Church of the Sudan, the Presbyterian Church in the Sudan and the Coptic Orthodox Church.

Music

Sudan has a rich and unique musical culture that has been through chronic instability and repression during the modern history of Sudan. Beginning with the imposition of strict Sharia law in 1989, many of the country's most prominent poets, including Mahjoub Sharif, were imprisoned while others, like Mohammed el Amin and Mohammed Wardi fled to Cairo. Traditional music suffered too, with traditional Zar ceremonies being interrupted and drums confiscated.

At the same time, however, the European militaries contributed to the development of Sudanese music by introducing new instruments and styles; for example, military bands, especially the Scottish bagpipes, were renowned, and set traditional music to military march music. The march March Shulkawi No 1, is an example, set to the sounds of the Shilluk.

Sport

Several Sudanese born basketball players have played in the American National Basketball Association. These include Deng Gai, Luol Deng and Manute Bol.

The Khartoum state league is considered to be the oldest football league in the whole of Africa as it started in the late 1920s. The Sudan Soccer Association started in 1954. The Sudan national soccer team, nicknamed Sokoor Al-Jediane is the national team of Sudan and is controlled by the Sudan Soccer Association. It is one of only a few countries to have played since the inaugural African Nations Cup in 1957. Todd Matthews-Jouda switched nationality from United States to Sudan in September 2003 and competed at the 2004 Olympics.

Clothing

Clothing is an important cultural indication that shows things such as prevalent moral and artistic values and traditions. Sudan's clothing is mainly Arabic garb, with the women covering their heads, as goes the tradition of Muslim and Islam. Women in Northern Sudan wear the colourful attire known as the Thobe, whilst many of the men of Sudan wear ankle-long white gowns called Galabiya, together with the Shaal, similar to a shawl.